To think this attendance mark is a bit harsh

[OnlyBaBaBiss]

Got DCs reports home today

Our attendance and punctuality are marked red amber and green according to percentages, we went on holiday in September (authorised but obvs still count towards absences) so I knew our attendance wouldn’t be green but was expecting amber as the DC have only had maybe 2 days off each all year

Anyway DSs attendance is ‘red’ - he missed being in amber by half a percent so 1 school session which is annoying in itself, but then looking through the breakdown of the year the odd session that took him over the threshold was 1 afternoon where school sent him home because of an injury that happened during one of their lessons

Now I know I know they have to draw the line somewhere lalala
But it’s so frustrating that it’s happened like this and now DS won’t get the attendance/punctuality treat as a result

I love attendance threads. Someone always turns up to whine about how unfair it is that the rules apply to their DC and that the rules of % should bend around their DC.

I'm not a fan of attendance awards, but most schools I've been in don't set it at 100% and also have considerations for those with medical conditions etc. I've (thankfully) never seen a child with ongoing medical issues be denied anything on the grounds of attendance.

I'd have all the sympathy in the world for parents of poorly children who miss out. I have no sympathy for people who take term time holidays and then whine.

The last two reports dd had had a sentence in saying she had to work on her attendance

I found it very annoying so i tippexed those bits out

Not fair when its not the childs fault but unfortunately in your case the holiday will have pushed it up

You went on holiday in term time, and they had one or two days off during the year. Surely they weren't in line for an attendance award anyway?!!

I have a child who has missed a lot of school due to being in and out of hospital all year. Yet again he faces the upset of not receiving a certificate. I bet he would love to have gone on holiday instead of needing operations so no sympathy what do ever comes from me for your case op.

the odd session that took him over the threshold was 1 afternoon where school sent him home because of an injury that happened during one of their lessons
No. The thing that took him over the threshold was your non essential holiday that you chose to go on knowing it wasn’t an authorised absence. But obviously, please do tell school that if your DS ever gets injured again you’d much rather they didn’t send him home

Btw I hate attendance awards. I have one DD who regularly gets 100% attendance and one who never will because she has multiple health issues that mean she is in and out of hospital. She isn’t less dedicated or conscientious than her sister. But please stop pretending this isn’t your fault.

I’d rathee take the kids on holiday than get an attendance “treat”. We’ve just come back from Florida, was well worth it.

"10 minuets at home equates to an hours lesson in school - all that taking coats off, finding a space, rummaging for a pen, etc"

This is utter nonsense and to be honest I'm offended that you think my lessons equate to 10 minutes of your teaching at home. Most schools are very welcoming of parents going round to actually see what happens in a real school day if you don't believe me.

"the teachers have no idea how to teach him"

Whilst I know there are some teachers who are pretty behind in their methods, the vast majority are still going to trump you keeping him at home and 'teaching' him for half an hour. You would be far better off communicating with the school and trying to work with them, not against them. Learning is far, far more complicated than it seems, and most people are not experts. Teachers usually aren't either but they come much closer, particularly these days where crap teaching is difficult to get away with.

"Teachers want to look at their own methods before quoting GCSE staticists aimed at the middle and up that exclude those with a disability"

We do look at our own methods, constantly, and we evaluate them, alongside a whole branch of academia studying the most effective methods for different groups of pupils- rather than just thinking we know best (which is unfortunately what some parents do). GCSE statistics are one tiny indication (not the only one!) to tell us whether they're working, but more importantly, GCSEs etc. are what our pupils are judged on when they leave to get jobs and enter the real world. That includes those pupils with SEN, and the idea that we ignore SEN is, again, offensive. I'm not sure what school you have experience of but I can assure you it is not representative of any school I have come across.

I have a child in red, I have to give medical proof for any absences, despite their time off being spent gravely Ill in hospital then returning to school far earlier than any of the drs, school, us, would like due to exams. That’s life, the school has to follow guidelines. My child is facing not being invited to yr 11 prom due to being so very bloody ill, with the ongoing impact on their health to contend with too. I hope you had a great holiday

Redcherries, the school doesn't have to follow guidelines when it means they are discriminating on the basis of disability. Sure, they have to encourage good attendance, that doesn't impose any obligation on them to put in place ridiculous incentive schemes that penalise children for being genuinely ill.

What level of attendance is celebrated at your school, op, if you can take a holiday during term time and your child still misses an attendance award by a mere whisker? It sounds bizarre.

@jennyfromtherock why do you think I missed school or that the attitude runs in my family?

And the 48hr rule relates to any incidence of vomiting etc and the child needs to be off school for 48 following the last bout of sickness and diorreah

Yacka, your spelling/grammar is a little off?

Attendance prizes are the most preposterous invention and should be outlawed. It needs monitoring, not to penalise children who have the misfortune to catch a virus that someone else didn't.

Ok sorry for posting while watching the world cup and having a few 🍷

And not checking all grammatical mistakes.

Seems like you just want any excuse to moan about teachers and the school in general after your original post and after you said this:

and if they were supervising properly he wouldn’t have been injured and sent home

Just a few more days to go and teachers everywhere won't have to deal with pathetic parent complaints like this for a few weeks 😂

Just a few more days to go and teachers everywhere won't have to deal with pathetic parent complaints like this for a few weeks
My friend had one recently. They raised concerns about a student's attendance at 6th form lessons. The student (backed by the parent!) countered the factual issues raised about student attendance and work with a dig at the teacher for 'always cancelling lessons'. My friend was at a funeral (and had also set work for the class which the student didn't do).

Some parents love a good complain about how unfair the world is on their darlings.

Most are amazing though